Read Pride of the King, The for Free Online

shirts and knee britches with long woolen stockings. Some were clothed entirely in buckskin, but everyone, man and woman alike wore moccasins.
    The French were not the only inhabitants of Kaskaskia. Black and Indian slaves stood on the riverbank waiting for the bateaux. Once they were at the landing, Monsieur Lupone barked orders, directing his crew and the slaves to unload.
    Lauren drank in every nuance of Kaskaskia. For the first time in her life she was a participant, not a bystander watching from an oak tree behind convent walls. The village was in an absolute uproar. There were oxen pulling carts from the river, fathers carrying children on their shoulders, and women rushing to and from market gathering food for the homecoming celebration. Every resident looked relieved. Loved ones had returned home at last, and supplies had arrived before the winter winds.
    Unlike the streets of New Orleans, Lauren saw little poverty here. The villagers seemed prosperous and well fed. It was obvious this back country was fruitful.
    Similar to Southern Louisiana, the homes were constructed of a series of posts set directly onto the ground joined with bousillage , clay mixed with straw aggregate. Most had wood shingle or thatched roofs, a porch on two sides, and always a picket fence enclosing the yard. The smoke from the fireplaces smelled heavenly to Lauren in this crisp air, and she gathered her jacket more closely around herself.
    Anne Lupone looked at Lauren, "I see you wear Rene's capot. Have you no warm clothing?"
    "I have nothing beyond the clothes on my back."
    Anne stopped walking and looked at Lauren, "How is this?"
    "Monsieur Lupone was good enough to take me in after my husband was killed in the hurricane.”
    "You had no one in New Orleans to take you?"
    "No--Not really," said Lauren.
    "You dear little thing, you have been very brave. It must be very difficult losing one's husband."
    Lauren did not want to lie to this good woman. "To be honest, Madame I hardly knew him. You see, it was an arranged marriage, and the storm hit on our wedding day. Please feel no pity for me. I cannot grieve for someone I did not know."
    Anne squeezed her hand and smiled, "That makes me feel better. Now let’s go home."
    The Lupone farmstead sat on the edge of the common fields which stretched out in long strips toward the bluffs. A small fence surrounded the house and garden, and a large barn in back housed cattle and pigs. Several geese rushed up to Lauren, hissing and pecking at her as she stepped in the yard. She jumped aside laughing.
    "It's unusual to have the house empty. The children are all down at the docks taking part in the celebration. We have been blessed with six children, and when they are all here it seems like twenty!"
    Lauren looked around the cabin. Everything was immaculate. As if Anne was reading her mind she said, "Our home is very clean and organized thanks to Monsieur Lupone. As long as I have known the man, everything must be in its place." Still holding the baby, Anne walked over to a ladder and pointed up, "The little ones sleep here in the loft and you may too. Rene sleeps down here by the fire."
    "Madame, you are most gracious, but how am I to repay you?"
    “We shall not discuss that today. Tonight you are our guest.”  
    She put the baby down in a cradle by the fire and said, "Now we must worry about supper. Tonight is merely gumbo. We shall have our special meal tomorrow when the sugar arrives from the docks. We will slaughter a goose and make several sweets. Tomorrow will be our celebration.”  
    The women set to work at the kitchen table preparing the evening meal. Anne was pleased to have another female by her side. After chopping some onions and dumping them into the gumbo, Lauren looked around. It felt good here. It felt like home. The walls were in bad need of a white wash, but the floors were immaculate and the furniture was in good repair. A walnut cupboard with double doors stood against one wall